1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a technology for reproducing data corresponding to a point where a viewing environment changes.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, television sets and recording equipment including digital versatile discs (DVD), hard disk drives (HDD), and randomly accessible mass storage media such as FLASH memories have been widely used. Combinations thereof form video viewing systems such as theater systems, which are also widely used.
Through such video viewing systems, viewers are capable of easily recording and storing video and easily reproducing the video midway through its sequence. Thus, a flexible video viewing style can be established regardless of the type of video: received video signals such as satellite broadcasting and terrestrial digital broadcasting or stored video data such as video stored on an HDD.
An example is known in which when a viewer needs to run an errand such as answering the door while viewing a television program in real time, recording of the viewed television program on an HDD can be started immediately by pushing a button on a remote controller, and the television program can be viewed later from the point where the recording was started.
Another example is known in which when reproducing of the video stored in an HDD is stopped midway through its sequence and the video stopped midway through its sequence is reproduced after viewing another video, reproducing can be started from the point where the video was stopped without searching for the reproducing start point since the stopped point is stored.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-84662 discloses a technology in which when viewing stored video, the presence of a viewer is monitored, and when the viewer leaves a viewing area, the reproducing of the video is stopped and when the viewer returns to the viewing area, reproducing is started.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1994-153130 discloses a technology in which a reproducing start point in stored video is determined while extracting a plurality of index images from the video, linking the index images and the recording points, and confirming the index image.
In some cases, it is difficult to satisfactorily view the video because of a change in the surrounding sound and light while viewing the video, i.e., a change in the viewing environment. When it is difficult to satisfactorily view the video, the viewer has to search for the reproducing start point in order to re-view the video.
For example, a case in which a movie is viewed in a dark viewing environment with closed curtains and turned-off lights is considered. If an ambulance drives by, the audio of the movie may be inaudible or difficult to hear. In such a case, the viewer will wait until the siren of the ambulance is no longer audible and re-view the movie from the point where the viewing was interrupted. In another case, if someone mistakenly opens the curtains or turns on the lights, light may reflect off the viewing device, making it difficult to view the movie and interrupting the viewing. In such a case, the viewer will shut the curtains and turn off the lights again and re-view the movie from the point where the viewing was interrupted. In either case, to re-view the movie from the point where the viewing was interrupted, the viewer has the difficulty of searching for and setting the reproducing start point.
When conventional methods are used to cope with the above described issues, it is difficult for the viewer to immediately determine to re-view the movie in response to a change in the viewing environment and carry out operations such as recording and reproducing the movie.
Even when the system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-84662 is used, an interruption in viewing due to a change in the viewing environment is not avoidable by merely detecting the presence of the viewer. In other words, even when the viewer is in a viewing area, the audio may not be audible due to surrounding noise. Therefore, there is a need to search for and set a reproducing start point.
Moreover, even when the system disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1994-153130 is used, the index image points do not correspond to changes in the viewing environment. Therefore, while these points may assist the search for a re-viewing point, they do not eliminate the need to search for a reproducing point.